Jakarta - Nutrition intake is a fundamental thing that must be considered in supporting the achievements of athletes in the world of international sports with achievements. In developed countries, the nutrition of athletes has been noticed for years before they compete. According to Emilia E. Achmadi MS., RDN, clinical nutritionist in the field of sports, nutrition is a fundamental part that must be considered. "In fact, in China, America and Japan, the nutrition of athletes starts when they are 6 years old (primary school age is used as an education curriculum)," he said.
So, when the athlete is getting older, they are ready to compete. "In some sports, nutrition preparation specifically for sports performance in accordance with discipline / sports is done eight years before the athlete fights in the arena," he continued.
This condition is recognized by Emilia, it has not been applied in Indonesia correctly and is consistent with professional systems of formulation, production, monitoring and evaluation.
This is what made him moved when invited to the "Winning Meal Project" program initiated by Ajinomoto Indonesia. He claimed to be interested in this program because it was in accordance with his idealism as a nutritionist. "Because in my opinion, the role of the private sector is needed to improve the quality of national athletes," he said.
Emilia added, through this program he focused on paying attention and preparing nutrition intake for I Gede Siman Sudarwata swimming athletes. Siman, from Bali, has won four gold medals at the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang.
"Many people do not understand that the nutrition intake of athletes cannot be equated with the intake of the average person. Fuel racing cars are not the same as ordinary car fuel, even more specific to what type of those race car! "Athletes have different backgrounds, unequal training loads, and different history of injury, of course this will affect the nutritional intake needed by each athlete." Said Ms. Emilia.
Through the "Winning Meal Project" Emilia prepares nutritional intake for Siman according to his physical conditions, anthropometric measurements, and periodization of training with Peak Performance being the goal. Siman daily food before and after training will be prepared in detail. "Nutrition before and after training will be very different. For example, in 45 minutes after strenuous training athletes need special nutrition to maximize the recovery process for the following training session and prevent injury, because that's when there must be intake to restore and repair damaged body parts. If this is not done, the athlete's physical body will quickly downgrade, "he explained.
Siman daily food before and after training will be prepared in detail. For example, Siman has achieved a national record of 50 meters backstroke, with 25.01 seconds. "That benchmark will become a reference for the Winning Meal Project (WMP) in the future," he explained.
The "Winning Meal Project" program is an adoption program from Ajinomoto Co.Inc in Japan called "Victory Project". Since 2003 Japanese athletes have noticed their nutritional intake. The success of the "Victory Project" in Japan, one of which is the provision of menu or proper meal plans for athletes.
About PT Ajinomoto Indonesia
PT. Ajinomoto Indonesia is a leading producer of food seasonings that has colored the lives of Indonesian people with high-quality products and presents delights at every consumer's cuisine. With its global slogan 'Eat Well, Live Well', at the age of 50 years, PT Ajinomoto Indonesia has scored remarkable achievements that signal the strength and resilience of a company that can make a major contribution to the people of Indonesia.